Sri Lankan Moors
Total population
1. 6 million
Regions with significant populations
Sri Lanka, Several Middle Eastern Countries
Languages
Arwi(extinct as spoken language), Arabic(extinct as spoken language), Tamil , Sinhalese
Religions
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Arabs, Sri Lankan Malays, Mappilas

The Sri Lankan Moors are the third largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka that comprise 7. Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. Arwi (لسان الأروي Lisān-ul-Arwī; அரபு-தமிழ் Arabu-Tamil; Arabic-Tamil is an Arabic and Tamil influenced Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. Sinhalese or Sinhala (සිංහල ISO 15919: siṁhala ˈsiŋhələ earlier referred to as Singhalese) is the language of the Sinhalese For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding The Malays of Sri Lanka originated in Southeast Asia and today consist of about 50000 persons The Mappilas (historically called Moplahs in Malayalam:മാപ്പിള refer to the Muslim community in Kerala and neighbouring Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island 2% of the country's total population (1, 645,535 people in 2005). They are predominantly followers of Islam. The Moors trace their ancestry to Arab traders who settled in Sri Lanka some time between the eighth and fifteenth centuries. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding The Arabic language brought by the early merchants is no longer spoken, though various Arabic words and phrases are still employed in daily usage. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Until the recent past, the Moors employed Arwi as their mother tongue, though this is also extinct as a spoken language. Arwi (لسان الأروي Lisān-ul-Arwī; அரபு-தமிழ் Arabu-Tamil; Arabic-Tamil is an Arabic and Tamil influenced Currently, the Moors of Sri Lanka use Tamil as their primary language which includes many loan words from Arabic. Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Moors are also fluent in Sinhala, an Indo-European language spoken by the Sinhalese majority in Sri Lanka. Sinhalese or Sinhala (සිංහල ISO 15919: siṁhala ˈsiŋhələ earlier referred to as Singhalese) is the language of the Sinhalese The Sinhalese are the main ethnic group of Sri Lanka. They speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and number approximately 15 million people with the Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Thus, the Moors are considered as a multilingual ethnic group.

The Sri Lankan Moors lived primarily in coastal trading and agricultural communities, preserving their Islamic cultural heritage while adopting many Southern Asian customs. During the period of Portuguese colonisation, the Moors suffered from persecution, and many moved to the Central Highlands, where their descendants remain. Portuguese Ceylon (Ceilão refers to a former Portuguese territory in Sri Lanka ( Ceylon) representing a period in Sri Lankan history from The Central Province ( Sinhala: Madhyama Palata) of Sri Lanka consists primarily of mountainous terrain

Distribution of Moors in Sri Lanka based on 2001 and 1981 (cursive) census

Religion

Main article: Islam in Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan Moors are virtually all followers of Islam, hence Their cultural identity is strongly defined by their religion. Islam in Sri Lanka is practised by a group of minorities who make up approximately 10% of the population For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Unlike the Sinhalese and Tamil people of Sri Lanka, an overwhelming majority of the community adheres to the Islamic faith hence the term "Muslim" is often used interchangeably as both a religious and ethnic term to describe the Moors. The Sinhalese are the main ethnic group of Sri Lanka. They speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and number approximately 15 million people with the Sri Lankan Tamil people ( or Ceylon Tamils, are an Ethnic group native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka who predominantly speak Most Sri Lankan Moors follow Sunni Islam through the Shafi school of thought. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic The Shāfi‘ī Madhab ( ar شافعي) is one of the four schools of Fiqh, or religious law within There are also small populations that follow other Islamic sects such as Shia Islam and Sufism. Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف

Languages

The Moors of Sri Lanka speak a fusion of Tamil and Arabic. Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language There isn't an official name for the language, thus it is commonly referred as Tamil. The Sinhala Language has also had strong influence on speech, especially in the Central region of Sri Lanka where most Moors are multilingual. Sinhalese or Sinhala (සිංහල ISO 15919: siṁhala ˈsiŋhələ earlier referred to as Singhalese) is the language of the Sinhalese In the past, the Arwi language was used extensively by the Moors, however it is now virtually extinct as a spoken language, and is confined only to religious texts. Arwi (لسان الأروي Lisān-ul-Arwī; அரபு-தமிழ் Arabu-Tamil; Arabic-Tamil is an Arabic and Tamil influenced Today, the Tamil script is commonly used; however the official script used by Moors in religious affairs is still Arwi, which is a modified form of the Arabic script. The The Arwi script uses the Arabic alphabet together with the addition of 13 letters unique to Arwi The form of language spoken by the Moors is mutually unintelligible with ethnic Tamil speakers because it uses many Arabic or Arabised Tamil words and phrases which are nowhere to be found in the Official Tamil language. Arabization ( Arabic: تعريب) describes a growing cultural influence on a non-Arab area that gradually changes into one that speaks Arabic and/or Some include:

Greetings and Blessings are also exchanged in Arabic instead of Tamil, such as "Assalamu Alaikum" instead of "Wanakkam" and "Jazakallah" instead of "Nandri". Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. Moors who live in the Kandy and Colombo area tend to speak Tamil with very little stress in pronunciation and with slang, and tend to use more Arabic and Sinhala words in daily speech. Kandy ( maha nuvara, mahaˈnuərə in Sinhala, கண்டி kaṇṭi, ˈkaɳɖi in Tamil) is the English name for the city of Colombo ( Sinhala:, ˈkoləmbə Tamil: கொழும்பு is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. Slang is the use of highly informal Words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's Dialect or Language. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Sinhalese or Sinhala (සිංහල ISO 15919: siṁhala ˈsiŋhələ earlier referred to as Singhalese) is the language of the Sinhalese

Apart from Arabic, words have also been absorbed from Portuguese, Dutch, English and notably, Sri Lankan Creole Malay. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The Sri Lankan Creole Malay language is a unique mixture of the Sinhalese language and the Tamil language with Malay. Additionally, there are many words that have no known origins.

Arwi Language in Sri Lanka

Prior to the adoption of Tamil and Sinhala, the Arwi language was used as a mother tongue by the Sri Lankan Moors. Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. Arwi (لسان الأروي Lisān-ul-Arwī; அரபு-தமிழ் Arabu-Tamil; Arabic-Tamil is an Arabic and Tamil influenced A first language (also mother tongue, native language, arterial language, or L1) is the language a human being learns from birth Arwi is linguistically related to both Semitic and Dravidian tongues now spoken predominantly in the Middle East and Southern India, respectively. In Linguistics and Ethnology, Semitic (from the Biblical " Shem " Hebrew שם translated as "name" Arabic: ساميّ It is also believed to be also related to Brahui, a Dravidian language spoken today by nearly 350,000 in East Baluchistan, Pakistan. The Brahui (Urdu spelling بروہی or Bravi (براوِ Language, spoken by the Brahui, is a Dravidian language mainly spoken in

The Arwi Alphabet.

The linguistic "marriage" of Arabic with Sri Lankan dialects is a process that has been active in the region for several centuries. The distinctiveness of the speech behavior of the Moors of Sri Lanka, has been referred to as Arabic-Tamil, Arabuthamul, Arwi, or Shonakam. It enjoys a religious knowledge affinity with a dialect of Jawi, used by the Malays of the island, as well as with other northern India derived languages such as Urdu, used by smaller groups of Muslims in the country. Jawi (جوي Jăwi (or Yawi in Pattani) is an adapted Arabic alphabet for writing the Malay language. The Malays of Sri Lanka originated in Southeast Asia and today consist of about 50000 persons The linguistic medium of Arwi is composed of more than one set of grammars and vocabularies that a speaker may switch back and forth from, depending on the situation. Compared to many among the Sinhalese, Tamil, or Burgher peoples of Sri Lanka who have traditionally tended to be monolingual, Moors were much more at home with Sinhala and Tamil, and in some instances English, as well as Arwi. The Sinhalese are the main ethnic group of Sri Lanka. They speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and number approximately 15 million people with the Sri Lankan Tamil people ( or Ceylon Tamils, are an Ethnic group native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka who predominantly speak The Burghers are a Eurasian ethnic group historically from Sri Lanka, consisting for the most part of male-line descendants of European colonists Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States

As a written language Arwi employs an invented orthography for a creolized, or mixed, system of speech patterns. A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable Language that originates seemingly as a nativized Pidgin. Research on its history has only very recently begun to appear in print. It is believed to have originated during the early stages of Islamizing contact between Sri Lankan peoples with Arab and Persian traders. The principles of its development and structure are possibly related to similar systems known for other similar Islamized speech and writing systems such as Maldivian, Jawi, Urdu, and Persian. Dhivehi Writing Systems Dhivehi (or Divehi) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by more than about 300000 people in the Republic of Maldives where it is the Jawi (جوي Jăwi (or Yawi in Pattani) is an adapted Arabic alphabet for writing the Malay language. Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised

Arwi is known to be a matter of at least scholarly interest in some parts of Sri Lanka today. Languages such as Sinhala, Tamil and English have replaced it in many contexts. Several reasons can be attributed to the decline of Arwi including the popularization of English during colonial times and and the lack of competitive printing facilities. Furthermore, the early 20th century adoption of an Urdu dominant Islamic school curriculum by scholars has also contributed to the extinction of Arwi as a spoken language and its overall decline in Sri Lanka.

Today, the Arwi Language exists mostly as a written medium for religious uses. Alongside standard Arabic, It is often used in formal religious ceremonies; however, unlike Arabic, Arwi is seldom taught in religious schools and is consequently in deep decline. The most notable usage of Arwi can be found in famous chants such as the Talaifatiha, which is exclusively conducted by women during certain religious festivals.

History Of Arabs in Sri Lanka: The Sri Lankan Moors

The Jami Ul Alfar mosque in pettah area one of the oldest mosques in Colombo

The Tamils of Sri Lanka, throughout history, have attempted to categorize the Sri Lankan Moors (Muslims) as belonging to the Tamil race. It is claimed that this was a bid to eliminate the minority Muslim community from having its own unique identity. The Government of Sri Lanka, however, treats the Muslims as of Arab origin and as a distinct ethnic group from the Tamils. ^[1]

The manner in which Islam developed in Sri Lanka is very similar to that on the Malabar coast of India. Tradition has recorded that Arabs who had settled down on the Malabar coast used to travel from the port of Cranganore to Sri Lanka on pilgrimage to pay homage to what they believed to be the footprint of Adam on the top of a mountain, which, until today, is called Adam's Peak. Adam's Peak (also Adam's Mount; Sinhalese Samanalakanda "butterfly mountain" Tamil Sivanolipatha Malai) is a tall conical Mountain ^[1]

Ibn Batuta, the famous 14th century Arab traveller, recorded many facets about early Arab influence in Sri Lanka in his travelogues. Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Al Lawati Al Tanji Ibn Battuta (أبو عبد الله محمد ابن عبد الله اللواتي الطنجي بن بطوطة (born February

Typical 19th century Moor Gentlemen

Before the end of the 7th century, a colony of Muslim merchants had established themselves in Ceylon. Fascinated by the scenic splendour and captivated by the traditions associated with Adam's Peak, Muslim merchants arrived in large numbers and some of them decided to settle in the island encouraged by the cordial treatment they received by the local rulers. Most of them lived along the coastal areas in peace and prosperity, maintaining contacts, both cultural and commercial, with Baghdad and other Islamic cities. Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous ^[1]

According to Tikiri Abeyasinghe in his Portuguese Rule in Ceylon, 1594-1612, Colombo (1966), Lake House Investments Ltd. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. , p 192, tradition has it that,

[. . . ]the first Mohammadans of Ceylon were a portion of those Arabs of the House of Hashim, who were driven from Arabia in the early part of the 8th. century by the tyranny of the Caliph, Abdel Malik bin Marwan, and who proceeding from the Euphrates southwards made settlements in the concan in the southern parts of the peninsula of India, on the island of Ceylon and Malacca. The division of them which came to Ceylon formed eight considerable settlements along the Nort-East, North and Western coast of that island; viz. , one at Trincomalee, one at Jaffna, one at Colombo, one at barbareen, and one at Point de Galle. [. . . ]

It is perhaps reasonable, therefore, to assume that the Arabs, professing the religion of Islam, arrived in Sri Lanka around the 7th/8th century A. D. even though there was a settled community of Arabs in Ceylon in pre-Islamic times. ^[1]

The circumstances that helped the growth of Muslim settlements were varied. Most of the majority Sinhalese depended more on agriculture than trade, thus trade wide open to the Muslims. The Sinhalese Kings considered the Muslim settlements favourably on account of the revenue that they brought them through their contacts overseas both in trade and in politics. The religious tolerance of the local population was also another vital factor in the development of Muslim settlements in Ceylon. ^[1]

The early Muslim settlements were set up mainly around ports on account of the nature of their trade. It is also assumed that many of the Arab traders may not have brought their womenfolk along with them when they settled in Ceylon. Hence they would have been compelled to marry the Sinhalese and Tamil women of the island after converting them to Islam. The fact that a large number of Muslims in Sri Lanka speak the Tamil language can be attributed to the possibility that they were trading partners with the Tamils of South India and had to learn Tamil in order to carry out their business. The integration with the Muslims of Tamil Nadu, in South India, may have also contributed to this. It is also possible that the Arabs who had already migrated to Ceylon, prior to Islam, had adopted the Tamil language as a medium of communication in their intercourse with the Tamil speaking Muslims of South India. The Muslims were very skillful traders who gradually built-up a very lucrative trading post in Ceylon. A whole colony of Muslims is said to have landed at Beruwela (South Western coast) in the Kalutara District in 1024 CE^[1]

The Muslims did not indulge in propagating Islam amongst the natives of Ceylon even though many of the women they married did convert. Kalutara is a resort town located approximately 40km south of Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital ^[1]

There is also a report in the history of Sri Lanka of a Muslim Ruler, Vathimi Raja, who reigned at Kurunegala (North Central Province) in the 14th. Kurunegala (කුරුණෑගල is the capital of the Wayamba Province, Sri Lanka and the Kurunegala District. For the region of Burkina Faso, see Centre-Nord Region. North Central Province ( Sinhala: Uturumeda Palata) is a century. This factor cannot be found in history books due to their omission, for reasons unknown, by modern authors. Vathimi Raja was the son of King Bhuvaneka Bahu I, by a Muslim spouse, the daughter of one of the chiefs. The Sinhalese son of King Bhuvaneka Bahu I, Parakrama Bahu III, the real heir to the throne was crowned at Dambadeniya under the name of Pandita Parakrama Bahu III. In order to be rid of his step brother, Vathimi Raja, he ordered that his eyes be gouged out. It is held that the author of the Mahavamsa (ancient history of Ceylon) had suppressed the recording of this disgraceful incident. The Mahavamsa, ("Great Chronicle " is a historical poem written in the Pali language of the kings of Sri Lanka. The British translator, Mudaliyar Wijesinghe states that original Ola (leaf script) was bodily removed from the writings and fiction inserted instead. The blinded Vathimi Raja (Bhuvaneka Bahu II or Al-Konar, abbreviated from Al-Langar-Konar, meaning Chief of Lanka of Alakeshwara) was seen by the Arab traveller Ibn Batuta during his visit to the island in 1344. His son named Parakrama Bahu II (Alakeshwara II) was also a Muslim. The lineage of Alakeshwara kings (of Muslim origin) ended in 1410. Although all the kings during this reign may not have been Muslims, the absence of the prefix -Shri Sangha Bodhi- (pertaining to the disciples of the Buddha) to the name of these kings on the rock inscriptions during this hundred year period may be considered as an indicator that they were not Buddhists. Further during Ibn Batuta's visit a Muslim ruler called Jalasthi is reported to have been holding Colombo, maintaining his hold over the town with a garrison of about 500 Abyssinians. The Abyssinians are a Jamaican Roots reggae group famous for their close Harmonies and promotion of the Rastafari movement in their lyrics ^[1]

In spite of this the Muslims have always maintained very cordial relationships with the Sinhalese Royalty and the local population. There is evidence that they were closer to the Sinhalese than to the Tamils. The Muslims' relationship with the Sinhalese kings grew stronger and in the 14th century they even fought with them against the expanding Tamil kingdom and its maritime influence. ^[1]

By the beginning of the 16th. century, the Muslims of Sri Lanka, the descendants of the original Arab traders, had settled down comfortably on the island. They were very successful in trade and commerce and integrated socially with the customs of the local people. They had become an inseparable, and even more, an indispensable part of society. This period was one of ascendancy in peace and prosperity for the Sri Lankan Muslims. ^[1]

Present day Moors

Population

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the population of Moors in Sri Lanka has multiplied from approximately 100,000 persons in the 1800's to over 1. 5 million in 2005. In the past, Moors were found throughout Sri Lanka, mostly within urban coastal regions. However, during Portuguese rule in the 1600's Moors were persecuted on the basis of their religion and were forced to retreat into the Kandyan highlands and the East Coast which were under the rule of local kings. Portuguese Ceylon (Ceilão refers to a former Portuguese territory in Sri Lanka ( Ceylon) representing a period in Sri Lankan history from Kandy ( maha nuvara, mahaˈnuərə in Sinhala, கண்டி kaṇṭi, ˈkaɳɖi in Tamil) is the English name for the city of Eastern Province ( Tamil: கிழக்கு மாகாணம் Sinhala: Negenahira Palata) is a province of Sri Lanka. As a result, today there are substantial Moor populations in these regions. In recent times, the Sri Lankan Civil War has produced large population movements in the northern region of the country, resulting in significant demographic changes. The Sri Lankan Civil War is an Ongoing conflict on the Island -nation of Sri Lanka. Hence the once-flourishing Muslim (mostly Moor) community is now non-existent in the Northern Province of the country as a result of ethnic cleansing carried out by Tamil Tiger rebels in 1991. Northern Province ( Sinhala: Uturu Palata) is a province of Sri Lanka. The expulsion of the Muslims from the Northern province was an act of Ethnic cleansing carried out by the Tamil militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Most of the Moor population still reside in Sri Lanka, however there are small growing communities in the Middle East, Europe, North America and Australia. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East.

References

• This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain. The Country Studies are works published by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress ( USA) freely available for use by researchers The federal government of the United States is the central United States Governmental body established by the United States Constitution. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone

• Victor C. de Munck. Experiencing History Small: An analysis of political, economic and social change in a Sri Lankan village. History & Mathematics: Historical Dynamics and Development of Complex Societies. Edited by Peter Turchin, Leonid Grinin, Andrey Korotayev, and Victor C. Peter Turchin is a specialist in Population dynamics and Mathematical modeling of historical dynamics ("cliodynamics" Leonid Grinin (born in 1958 is a philosopher of History and sociologist Andrey Korotayev (born in 1961 is an anthropologist, economic Historian, and sociologist. de Munck, pp. 154-169. Moscow: KomKniga, 2006. ISBN 5484010020

• Pieris, Kamalika. The Muslims and Sri Lanka. [1]. Mission Islam, 2006.

See also

• Islam in Sri Lanka